How to Create a Cheap Home Office for Under $500

Many people find themselves working from home these days. And many people find themselves needing to setup a home office on the cheep. Here’s how you can set yourself up to work from home including getting a computer, a chair, a desk and a phone for under $500. It’s likely your employer provides your computer and you already have a phone, but just to cover everyone, including people coming out of school or starting their own company from scratch, we’ll cover everything. If you only need a desk or chair, just read those sections.

Computer (0 — $200): First, check with your company to see if they will provide you with a home computer. If not, the cheapest way to set yourself up with a computer is to get a refurbished Chromebook for under $150. A Chromebook is a computer built for doing most things online and in the cloud. It allows you to access anything web based, and almost all computing tasks can be done these days in the cloud. If you need to provide your own computer, check with your company IT department on whether a Chromebook will be sufficient. If it’s not, this pushes the cost of a computer up to $200 for a refurbished laptop.

Desk: (0-$40): You can get a new student desk for around $40. But if you search around Craigslist and NextDoor in your local area, you might find a used one for free. You can also check with your employer to see if they will pay for your desk.

Chair (0-$100+): While you can go low end with the desk and computer, don’t skimp on the chair. Get a chair with back support that specifies it’s designed for 8 hours of sitting per day. These chairs start around $100. Like a desk, you may find a free giveaway on Craigslist or NextDoor. Also, first check with your employer to see if they will cover the cost of your chair.

Phone (0-$350): Mint mobile offers a payment plan on a new Iphone for $15 per month, plus a service plan for $15 per month as their best deal. That’s $350 per year for phone service and your new phone. Already have a phone? That brings the yearly cost down to $180. And if you’re using your phone for work, check with your employer on whether they can cover all or some of your phone bill.

Internet (0-$240): Home internet starts at about $20 per month with Cox. That’s $240 per year. Check with your employer to see if they will cover your home internet when you are working from home. About half of distributed companies pay for home internet.

So that’s how you can get everything you need for a home office for as cheap as $0— $930, with a real estimated cost of $290 assuming you already have a cell phone and home internet outside of work.

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